


doctor who?

by alateni



Series: Party of Three [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fantasy AU, M/M, Multi, focused on seokmin and his thoughts, gyu's a elf warrior, hao's a half-dragon, seok's a nymph druid, that might or might not reflect my own, there's honestly not much romance but it's there and it's queer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 14:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15708888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alateni/pseuds/alateni
Summary: Seokmin runs a doctor's clinic out of the home he shares with Mingyu and Minghao, known to be one of the most kind-hearted healers in the region. Unfortunately, being a doctor doesn't mean you have a one way ticket to perfect health. Seokmin knows this, he just needs a reminder.





	doctor who?

“Apply the salve every day for a week and you should be good,” Seokmin says, handing over a small jar to the concerned mother. “If you want, I can throw in some tea leaves for free. They’re packed with nutrition and will help fight any sickness or infection that may result from the healing process.” The mother pauses, biting her lip in thought. Her son, cradling his sore arm, swings his feet back and forth. He’s perched on Seokmin’s examination table, a little too carefree for someone who had escaped from a house fire just last week.

“Don’t worry, I won’t charge you,” Seokmin continues. “Seriously, it’s on me. Completely free.” He resists a yawn as the woman doesn’t seem convinced, so Seokmin kneels down. He stares at the kid, catching his eye and making sure he’s listening before speaking. “This is tea, it tastes really good, so drink it every day until it runs out okay? It’ll help you be healthy again, and then you can go and play – that sounds fun right?” The kid nods, and holds onto the bag of leaves Seokmin hands him.

“I don’t know how I can repay you,” the mother starts. She has a hand on her kid, as if they were going to run for it now that Seokmin is done treating him. “I, I don’t have much.”

Seokmin shakes his head. “Not a problem,” he smiles, disarmingly. “Your little one there has helped me enough in the past, haven’t you?” The son cheers, nodding. “He tells all the other kids not to touch the poisonous plants near the forest – saving them from hives and providing me with more herbs to pick.”

“But,” the mother complains, “it’s not intentional!”

“And that’s the best kind of payment don’t you think?” Seokmin questions. “A good deed, out of one’s heart, repaid in the end. It all works out, I hope you’ll remember that lesson in the future miss. But for now, I think you should hurry home. Your little one looks tired.” The mother pauses, before bowing. She moves to leave, her son following quickly behind her. He turns around, waving goodbye to Seokmin with his good hand, before they leave the house.

Seokmin breathes a sigh of relief. He wasn’t supposed to have any patients today, Sundays were his day off after all. However, there’s no such thing as rest for a druid like him. He’s known – in the surrounding area at least – to be always open, for both walk ins and emergencies. As such, lots of people would come knocking even during his holiday hours (as well as in the middle of the night if Mingyu and Minghao weren’t there to throw them out; let’s just say Seokmin doesn’t always get a full night’s rest). It’s not like Seokmin can turn them away either, he’s too kind hearted for that. Regardless, at least his gentle nature garners him some respect. Most of the locals would wait until Monday if they could, and if they couldn’t, they often brought gifts or paid him more than usual to compensate. It worked out, Seokmin supposes.

Walking away from his office, Seokmin stretches. He had been mindlessly completing tasks all morning, mind on autopilot. He looks back, noting the papers scattered all over his desk, before moving away. His office is separated from the rest of the house. There’s even a door that leads directly outside, so that patients wouldn’t be walking through their home all the time. Mingyu had taken to calling it the “nurse’s wing” and he’s not wrong. Along with Seokmin’s office – where he keeps records and little journals filled with his own research – there’s an examination room and a waiting area too.

It's, just like the rest of the house, built from scratch as per Mingyu. However, Seokmin had specifically grown all the wood that went into making it. He imbued the wood with magic properties, ones that promoted calmness and healing of the mind and body. He isn’t sure if the effects work as well as he would’ve liked them too, but he likes to think it helps just a bit.

Walking back into the main house area, Seokmin surveys the room. Mingyu is out again, though not on an expedition. He’s simply in the city, grabbing groceries and supplies they’ll need. Seokmin sent him out with a few packages he needed to be delivered as well, so the elf would probably be returning home later than usual. Honestly, Seokmin has a feeling Mingyu would be swinging by the pub after he finished his errands. The taller man is quite the social butterfly after all, and making connections and friends always helped him and the crew – or so he claimed. Networking, Mingyu calls it. Nosy, is what Minghao would say.

Stomach grumbling, Seokmin retreats from his thoughts and back into the present. It’s well past lunch, and Seokmin needs to eat lest he faints from exhaustion. He had actually been in the process of preparing a meal when the mother and son came, so there were a variety of ingredients still scattered on the table. Yawning as he picks up the knife again, Seokmin goes back to cutting vegetables, thoughts of a nap at the back of his mind.

Making quick work of the vegetables, Seokmin is soon throwing them together in a pan with oil. Had he been eating with Minghao or Mingyu, he would’ve added in the meat they had in the cooler. For himself though, vegetables are just fine. Seokmin isn’t a vegetarian, but he only eats meat when he has to. After years of living on his own with only the animals of the forest to talk to, he can’t bring himself to eat them anymore. When he explained his situation to Minghao, the half-dragon didn’t understand. To Minghao, his logic is flawed – if talking to animals meant they were friends and Seokmin couldn’t eat them, then why could he eat plants? After all, it’s not like Seokmin couldn’t converse to flora either.

To that, Mingyu had hit Minghao on the head and told the slender male to leave Seokmin alone. _Stop pestering him about his life choices_ , Mingyu had scolded, _it’s not like we’re stopping you from eating meat!_ Minghao had pouted, uncharacteristically so, but stayed silent. Seokmin recalls the memory fondly before turning off the fire. He ate vegetables because, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to survive. Besides, Seokmin sees them differently. He could talk to them, and they made great listeners, but they could be regrown. Seokmin always makes sure that if he has to use a plant, he’ll keep the seeds and sow them later. A life taken, but soon replaced. The same can’t be done if you slaughter an animal.

Seokmin plates his vegetables with some rice and moves from the kitchen to the dinner table. Sitting down, he digs in, not realizing how hungry he is. The food is good, though the taste is a bit off. Seokmin thinks he remembers Mingyu telling him that the beans had gone bad, but Seokmin didn’t smell anything abnormal while cooking so it couldn’t be that bad, could it? Whatever, he could deal with it. He’d eaten worse food in the forest. Though, Seokmin grimaces as he eats a particularly sour bit of beans, it’s a good thing Mingyu is going shopping today.

Finishing his food, Seokmin moves to wash the dishes. He’s feeling full and content, happy with the day so far. All that’s left on his to-do list is a bit of cleaning (mainly his office because Minghao and Mingyu take care of the rest of the house) and sitting on the couch until Minghao or Mingyu come home – whoever gets there first. Maybe he’d even start on dinner if both of them proved to be late. Or take a nap. He’s feeling pretty tired.

Humming, Seokmin walks towards his office in a good mood. It isn’t often that he’s happy to be alone, not after all those years in the forest, but once in a while he relishes it. It’s comforting to have Minghao and Mingyu home, but it’s also loud. The two never stopped talking (bickering more like it), and it’s not like Seokmin is a quiet person himself. It’s a good thing they live away from the city, else they be plagued with noise complaints every night. Even without the noise, Seokmin feels cramped some days. Maybe it’s because the other two beings have so much presence, but it feels stuffy. Like Seokmin can’t be by himself, like he always has to be engaged in something.

It’s weird to think about, but that’s one thing Seokmin misses about his solitary life. Even if he loves Mingyu and Minghao, he still has to _be_ something to them. A friend, a lover, a housemate – whatever the role is, Seokmin has to fulfill it. Out in the wild though, all he had to look out for is himself. He didn’t have to worry about others. He had tried to talk to someone about it once, but they’d merely looked at him oddly. They called him weird, seeing as Mingyu and Minghao didn’t expect anything from him. Shouldn’t that be comfortable? But that’s the thing, while it was comforting to fall asleep next to Mingyu and Minghao, it also felt like he was supposed to. Was it comforting because he was surrounded by loved ones, or was he forcing himself to feel comfortable because he should be? Seokmin doesn’t know how to explain it, but by himself in the woods with nothing but nature, he didn’t _have_ to explain anything. He didn’t have to feel comfortable, didn’t have to be relaxed because he is in a supposedly relaxing place, he just was. It’s the state of being that Seokmin sometimes misses, but honestly, he doesn’t mind the change either.

With thoughts whirling around his mind, Seokmin cleans up his office. The papers and files are put away in their appropriate folders. The floor is swept, and the counters are wiped. Seokmin even goes through the examination room with a disinfectant wipe to really get rid of the germs. Soon enough, Seokmin settles down into his chair and looks through the journals on his desk. Some are filled to the brim with writing and drawings, while others are half-filled or not even written in at all. They contained all of Seokmin’s personal research – though the term is used loosely.

Seokmin didn’t have a specific topic or avenue that he excelled at. He’s as good at animal transfiguration as he is at potion brewing. His mind isn’t much better, flitting from one topic to another, so this is his compromise. He keeps many, many notebooks, all for different areas of research. He fills each one as he feels like it, compiling a rather large collection of information. Mingyu, in an attempt to summarize what Seokmin did other than playing doctor, calls it a well of knowledge that isn’t exactly deep, but not shallow either.

A jack of all trades, master of none, that’s what Seokmin has come to call it. He quite likes it actually, even if some would think he’s doing nothing with his time but running in circles, unable to commit to something. For him, it’s freeing. He isn’t confined to one subject. He can pursue whatever he desires, and honestly, knowing a little about everything rather than a lot about one thing makes a lot more sense to Seokmin.

Putting his files and journals away, Seokmin organizes them. Minghao likes to organize things by size and colour. Mingyu prefers them alphabetical. Seokmin on the other hand? Well, let’s just say no one understands his organization preference other than Seokmin himself. He can’t really explain, it just feels right that energy boosting plants are before antidotes but after burn salves. And well, as long as Seokmin can find his things, Mingyu and Minghao have no complaints.

Speaking of which, Seokmin straightens up after placing the last book in its spot. The sun is starting to set, but neither being had made it back home. Seokmin walks back to the main house, opting to wait for them on the couch (and hoping he won’t fall asleep). It’s a little boring, almost bordering desperate, but Seokmin doesn’t have anything better to do. To be quite honest, he doesn’t have many hobbies. Most of his time is spent researching or tending to plants. Whatever is left is often allotted to chilling with Mingyu or Minghao (and, in the best case, both). In the back of his mind, Seokmin thinks it’s a little pathetic, but he’s working on it. Besides, gardening is kind of a hobby, right?

He supposes it is, but it’s still related to work. Perhaps Seokmin should find something that’s actually relaxing and takes his mind off work? He doesn’t know what he’d do though. He’s not creative, nor is he athletic. There’s not much a homebody like him could do, now that he realizes it. He barely leaves the house as it is, much less learn a new skill. And with whatever time he had on his hands, he’d just go work some more. Oh well, he’d think about it later. It’s not like it’s the end of the world, after all, Seokmin’s survived this long without one.

Breaking out of his thoughts, Seokmin looks up just as the door opens. “I’m home!” Minghao calls. His telltale lilting voice echoes throughout the house, and Seokmin perks up almost instantly.

“Welcome home!” Seokmin grins, boredom cured. He stands up, meaning to walk over and give Minghao a hug, before his legs give out and he collapses. The sound alerts Minghao, and the halfling runs over, wooden door swinging shut.

“Holy shit? Seokmin are you okay?” Minghao kneels next to Seokmin, hand on his forehead to check his temperature. Seokmin tries to speak, but his throat suddenly feels dry. He can barely form words, so he nods instead. It makes his head spin and black dots cloud his vision. “Damn,” Minghao curses, struggling to make Seokmin comfortable.

Seokmin licks his lips, trying to tell Minghao that he’s okay, but only manages a croak that does nothing to soothe Minghao’s panic. Minghao leaves him for a second, sprawled on the floor, before coming back with a towel in his hands. He places it to Seokmin’s forehead, and the druid sighs in relief at the cool contact. No offense to Minghao, but the halfling is always warmer than everyone else. It’s heavenly in the wintertime, when the fireplace isn’t providing enough heat, but in the summer? Mingyu and Seokmin basically banish him to one side of the bed.

“Should I move you? Or are you dizzy?” Minghao asks. “I guess I should be asking you yes or no questions since you can’t speak.” Minghao laughs, but it seems a little hysterical. He’s always been bad at dealing with injured people. Minghao prefers problems he can solve instantly – an opponent, a missing item, things that he could overcome with effort. Situations like this however, where he can do nothing but sit and wait for a better outcome, are not his cup of tea. It drives him crazy, pacing through the house until he wore himself out. Seokmin secretly thinks it’s because of the dragon blood in him, but knowing how much Minghao hates that side of him, he doesn’t bring it up.

“Dizzy,” Seokmin manages to groan. It surprises Minghao, the halfling jumping at his words, but he seems much more relieved now that Seokmin can communicate with him. “Water,” Seokmin croaks again, and Minghao almost leaps to fulfill the request. Luckily, he’s watched Seokmin treat enough patients to know to bring a straw so Seokmin wouldn’t have to deal with drinking it on his own. Holding his upper body up, Minghao brings the glass closer to nymph’s face. Seokmin leans over, body suddenly aching, but manages to drink most of the water. Minghao places the glass on the couch before peering into Seokmin’s eyes, noting the vacant expression on Seokmin’s face.

“Should we tuck you into bed?” Minghao asks. Seokmin nods slowly. “I’ll go slowly okay? Tap me or yell or something if it’s too much.” Again, Seokmin nods. Carefully, Minghao slides his arm underneath Seokmin’s waist. Hoisting him up gently, Seokmin weakly clutches at Minghao’s neck as the other male stands up. Blood rushes to Seokmin’s head, and the floor swims under his vision, but he grits his teeth and bears it. He’s been through worse, this is a walk in the park compared to the time he almost had to amputate his own leg. He can do this.

After what seems like a century, Minghao is slowly depositing him in bed. He slides a pillow underneath Seokmin’s head, and adjusts his legs into a more comfortable position. “Are you feeling hot still?” Minghao asks, hovering by Seokmin’s side. Seokmin considers the question. He doesn’t feel as hot as he did before (the water had helped), but he isn’t at a comfortable temperature yet. “Should I cover you with the blanket?” Minghao questions again, biting his lip. He’s starting to pace around, and Seokmin’s getting a little dizzy trying to keep him within his view. “Just half?” Minghao tries. All the questions are confusing to Seokmin’s addled brain, but he tries his best to keep up. Nodding, Minghao seems to deflate in relief at having something to do.

Minghao tucks the blanket around Seokmin’s midsection, keeping it loose enough where it’s not suffocating. Seokmin could kick it off if he really tried, which is a good thing if he ends up getting too hot and Minghao isn’t close enough to take it off for him. It’s weird though, he had been feeling perfectly fine before Minghao got home, though he had been a little more tired than usual. Now though, it feels like he’s about to die. A little dramatic, but Seokmin doesn’t think he’s felt so bad all year.

“Is there anything else I can do?” Minghao asks. He’s wringing his hands nervously, and Seokmin almost wishes that he could give the halfling another task. Unfortunately, Seokmin can barely keep his eyes open, so he shakes his head. “Okay, you get some sleep now okay? Mingyu should be home soon…” Minghao bites his lips. “He’ll know what to do. Maybe make you some soup or something.” Seokmin coos, wanting to comfort Minghao, but all that comes out is a groan. “I’ll leave you to rest,” Minghao sighs. He leans over, brushes some of Seokmin’s sweat drenched hair back, and presses a kiss to his temple. “Get better babe.”

Seokmin watches with half-lidded eyes as Minghao leaves. Just as the halfling is out of sight, Seokmin closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.

 

 

 

“And he just collapsed?”

“No! Were you listening to me? He fell onto the floor but he was still conscious up until I put him into bed.”

“You sure it wasn’t you who brought this sickness in?”

“That’s not funny! Mingyu… I’m worried…”

“I’m just kidding, he’ll be fine. If he’s not better by tomorrow morning – which I doubt considering I’ve made one heck of a good herbal stew – then we’ll go ask the forest faeries to help him. He’s always been more plant than human.”

Seokmin listens in on Mingyu and Minghao’s conversation a little longer, before opening his eyes for real. The light streaming through the window is much, much dimmer than before. The sun had probably set outside, in fact, Seokmin is pretty sure it’s deep within the night. So Mingyu went to the bar after all. Seokmin isn’t surprised.

Grunting, Seokmin tries to sit up. Luckily, he’s feeling a lot less dizzy now that he’s slept, so he manages to get into an upright position after some effort. He’s still left feeling lightheaded, but the world isn’t shaking every time he blinks. An improvement, no matter how small, is always appreciated.

Just as he’s about to call for Mingyu and Minghao, the two walk into the room. Minghao’s mouth drops, and the half-dragon immediately runs to his side. He’s fluffing Seokmin’s pillow, arranging it so it supports his lower back, while Mingyu slowly walks in and places a bowl on the dresser. Minghao, after finishing fussing over the blanket and pillow arrangement, stands back and examines Seokmin’s entire body. His eyes scan over Seokmin’s face, no doubt reading the nymph’s temperature. Dragons, though feared, are basically oversized lizards – meaning they’re really good at seeking warmth and telling temperature. It isn’t a skill Minghao would brag about, but it has it’s uses.

“How are you feeling?” Mingyu asks gently. He sits down beside Seokmin, in between him and the bowl of soup, and ignores Minghao’s hisses about how he’s jostling the bed.

“Better,” Seokmin clears his throat. “I’m feeling a bit sore and achy, but not as dizzy – though I’m still lightheaded.”

“Hm, that’s good,” Mingyu nods. Minghao merely stands a little way away, looking like a scarecrow. Admittedly, Minghao isn’t very well-versed in human health. Whenever he feels sick or is injured, he merely transforms into a dragon and lets his wilder blood do the healing. It’s understandable then, how awkward he feels – not knowing if Seokmin’s symptoms are serious or not.

Seokmin reaches forwards, “come here Minghao.” He opens and closes his hands, grabbing at Minghao through the air, and continues to do so until Minghao begrudgingly sits down on the bed beside him. Immediately, Seokmin reaches over and pats him on the head. “You did so good Hao, taking care of me until Mingyu came home. Thanks for moving me to the bed.”

“I didn’t do much,” Minghao replies, flushing slightly. He’s secretly preening under the praise, Seokmin can tell. Minghao enjoys taking care of his loved ones after all. It’s the possessive animalistic side of him, the one that wants to hide his mates away and protect them. “Mingyu made you soup.”

“Herbal soup,” Mingyu corrects. “I used some of your herbs Seokmin, sorry about that. It’s a recipe I learned from one of my crewmates, supposed to be good for almost every race.” As he talks, Mingyu brings the bowl over. He’s holding a spoon as well, but he raises the bowl for Seokmin to see. “I think it’s a mixture of eastern and western medicinal practices. Usually my crewmate adds in a bit of a magic, but he uses this potion thing that I’m not sure is actually legal so I left it out.” Minghao snorts, and Seokmin is glad he’s feeling better about the situation at hand.

“Sounds good,” Seokmin speaks up before Mingyu and Minghao could quarrel again. Mingyu grins, happy that Seokmin doesn’t mind that his plants have been touched. The taller man dips the spoon into the soup and brings it to Seokmin’s mouth. Too weak and tired to complain about being spoon fed, Seokmin merely opens his mouth and lets it happen.

The taste is strong, but not so much that Seokmin recoils after the first taste. Surprisingly, it’s not bitter. It’s heartier than any of the other herbal medicines he’s had before. It’s easy going down, tasting more like broth than anything else. There are a few leaves of whatever plant Mingyu put in there left over, but the elf doesn’t force Seokmin to eat it. There’s a weird, sweet aftertaste, but Seokmin finds it pleasant. It definitely could’ve been worse.

“That’s not bad,” Seokmin says, throat feeling better after eating. “What’s in it?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re better,” Mingyu replies.

Minghao leans over and whispers into Seokmin’s ear, “he’s only saying that because he used some of your Pariseu plants.”

“Minghao!” Mingyu whines when Seokmin looks over sharply. “I had to! Listen, you’ll get better real fast and then you can’t even blame me!”

“I can and I will,” Seokmin replies. “Just watch me.”

“You have to get better first,” Minghao chides gently. “Now get some more rest okay? Do you want us to sleep with you tonight or should we pull out the extra bed?”

“Hmm,” Seokmin hums, thinking. “Maybe you should stay away, I don’t know if I’m contagious or not.”

“Sad, but okay,” Mingyu nods. “Are you sure you can sleep by yourself?”

Seokmin sighs, “yeah, I should be fine. The sickness is already making me weak anyways, sleeping shouldn’t be too bad especially since I know you guys are in the next room.”

“Okay, but make sure to call us if you need anything,” Mingyu reminds.

“Who’s the doctor now?” Minghao giggles as Seokmin rolls his eyes. “You’d think you’d take better care of your health.”

Seokmin groans. “Listen, I don’t even know why I’m sick, how am I supposed to prevent it? It’s not like I don’t take my vitamins every day unlike _someone_.” Glaring at Minghao, Seokmin huffs.

“Vitamins taste gross,” Mingyu says, “but why are you targeting me when Hao’s the one who threw shade first?” The elf pouts. “Anyways, if you want my guess, I’d say it’s exhaustion. You’ve been working yourself too hard Minnie.”

Seokmin frowns. He didn’t think he had been overworking, but then again, no one ever does. He’s treated many a case of exhaustion, and almost all patients would say the same thing. _I’m not working too hard, I still have more work to do, this is just the beginning_ – is Seokmin like that too? Probably. Mingyu had just returned from a rather long adventure with his crew, and it just so happened to align with Minghao’s monthly excursions as a dragon. Seokmin supposes he had been trying to keep himself busy to avoid feeling lonely. And it bit him in the butt.

“I guess I have,” Seokmin sighs. “Some rest will do me good, along with eating properly.” Seokmin laughs. “Though eating those rotten vegetables for lunch probably wasn’t a good idea.”

“You ate _what_?” Mingyu screeches, noise piercing Seokmin’s ears uncomfortably. Minghao physically flinches, having better senses than the rest of them. The affronted look Minghao gives Mingyu almost makes Seokmin laugh, but he’s jostled out of his joy by Mingyu grabbing his shoulders. “I can’t believe you ate rotten vegetables! Why didn’t you just throw them out?” Before Mingyu can scold Seokmin any more, Minghao steps in and pushes Mingyu away.

“Hey, leave him be, at least he didn’t vomit. Let’s give him some space to rest, you can scold each other after he’s better,” Minghao chides. Mingyu frowns, but steps away.

Seokmin sticks his tongue out at him. “That’s what you get for using my herbs without asking.”

“How is that the same? I was helping you-” Mingyu retorts as Minghao drags him out of the room.

Grinning, Seokmin lowers himself back into a laying position. He fixes his pillow, feeling a lot better now that he’s eaten. Settling in to sleep, Seokmin silently thanks Mingyu and Minghao. They helped significantly, both in improving his mood and health. After all, didn’t they say laughter is the best medicine? In that case, Seokmin isn’t the doctor, Mingyu and Minghao are.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly forgot about this AU until someone commented on it and I reread my own work and was like, "Wow this is so cool? Why haven't I wrote more?" So this spawned. It doesn't... really expand on the world much but Seokmin is a little underappreciated in my eyes so I felt the need to give him some light. Maybe in the future I'll write more for this AU, one can only hope.
> 
> Reminder that you can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/alatenii) if you'd like!
> 
>   
> Hope you're smiling!  
> 
> 
>   
> ~ alateni  
> 


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